KEY POINTS:
A Kaeo woman who died in an accident just north of Whangarei probably fell asleep at the wheel, a coroner has found.
Beverley Dawn Zivcovich, aged 63, died en route to Whangarei Hospital after the car she was in crossed the centreline into the path of a truck on State Highway One, at Waiotu, just north of Whangarei, on September 9 last year.
The accident happened on a straight stretch of road in good driving conditions about 12.30pm as she was heading south. An inquest into the death was heard before Coroner Max Atkins in Whangarei yesterday.
Mr Atkins found that Mrs Zivcovich, the sole occupant of the car, died as a result of internal injuries, including a fractured sternum, ribs and pelvis, and internal bleeding caused by the accident.
He found the driver of the truck that collided with Mrs Zivcovich's car did all that he could to avoid the accident and could not be held responsible for the collision.
Mr Atkins said Mrs Zivcovich's husband Steve was in hospital in Whangarei at the time and she was travelling a lot to see him. This, along with the stress of the situation, may have caused her to be overcome by fatigue.
A report by Senior Constable Jim Hawthorne, of the Police Serious Crash Unit, found no defects in either vehicle that might have contributed to the accident.
There were also no signs that Mrs Zivcovich had tried to avoid the crash, which happened about 1.4m into the oncoming lane, indicating that she may have fallen asleep at the wheel, Mr Hawthorne said.
"It would seem to indicate that she must have dozed off and that is what led to the accident," Mr Atkins said.
